Time to Decide

Now that we’ve been at school for almost a month, you may be starting to feel a little tired because of all the work you have to do in order to be successful. You may even be starting to feel a little frustrated.

Frustration comes when you have two conflicting goals.

Maybe you want to earn high grades but you also want to avoid spending time doing school work after class. You know that it is unreasonable to expect high grades if you don’t earn them, but you still don’t want to do any homework.  So you feel frustrated.

Maybe you want to talk in class almost constantly because you like talking, but you also want to be known as a cooperative and respectful student. You know it is unreasonable to have a reputation as a trustworthy student if you don’t follow the teacher’s instructions, but you don’t want to be quiet.  Not surprisingly, you feel frustrated.

What should you do?

You are now old enough to understand that some goals aren’t easy to reach. You are also old enough to understand that being part of a group has disadvantages as well as advantages.

So, you have to decide what is most important to you. Do you really want those high grades even if it means less time to spend on your other activities?  Do you really want to be part of the class even if it means that sometimes things don’t go your way?

As soon as you decide what is most important to you, your frustration will start to go away. You may feel disappointed or sad for a short time, but you will know what to do: go after the goal you’ve chosen. And if you take the time to feel grateful for all the good things you do have in this life, you will soon start to feel happier.

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